1. Technical Field
This invention relates to improvements to the control of the position of a position indicator presented on a media screen such as a visual display unit.
2. Background of the Invention
When interacting with content displayed on a screen or screens of a visual display unit or units, it has become established practice to use a cursor to interact with the content through a graphical user interface (GUI). Movement of the cursor to a required position on the screen(s) to click and select an object or position within the content displayed is familiar to most people. In a traditional cursor control device, such as a ‘mouse’, a user physically moves the mouse in such a way that the cursor moves across the screen(s) to a position that the user wishes the cursor to be positioned at. This use of the traditional mouse can take up to 1-3 seconds to move the cursor from one part of the screen to another, which can be exacerbated when content is displayed across more than one VDU. To effect large cursor movements with the traditional mouse can require a number of separate physical movements, for example, when the mouse mat is not large enough for movement of the mouse across the mat to correspond to full movement of the cursor across the VDU screen. The separate movements are frequently in the form of a movement of the mouse across the mat, lifting the mouse from the mat followed by an aerial movement of the mouse back across the mat where this is intended not to move the cursor on the VDU screen, followed by a further movement of the mouse across the mat to move the cursor. This process may need to be undertaken a number of times before the cursor has been moved the required distance across the screen or screens before arriving at the desired position. This movement of a traditional mouse has been linked with repetitive strain injuries, and may be particularly problematic to people with limited mobility.
The present invention was made in an attempt to solve these problems.